Building trains with Hitachi Rail, Avanti West Coast Evero & Levenmouth rail link opens! Ep 36

[@joegrey9807]

Excellent stuff. The Hitachi video was very impressive -especially as you managed to get a politician to say something sensible about railway policy. Two of the most well informed and well connected blokes blathering on about railways.

[@GreenSignals]

That's so kind, thanks! Really appreciate the feedback and glad you are enjoying the shows!

[@amazoniaamazonia7225]

As a driver I looked forward in anticipation to the much needed investment in new rolling stoke and expected the then new 800/02 IETs to be the bench mark for long haul passenger services, sadly I was wrong, looking around the interior it’s hard to see any gains considering the large increase in leasing costs, of course the power operated doors are an improvement over the slam door stock but the poor quality seats and the replacement of a Buffet with a trolley service, really does make the IETs a poor substitute, I’m sure for the same money we could have had a state of the art MK 2 HST, fit for the 21st century, instead we have the IETs, which really is a missed opportunity.

[@DeltaJazzUK]

Well said.

[@mikeuk4130]

How has it come to this? We invented railways and led the world in building them and the stock that ran on them. We have now seen two brilliant and pertinent videos about successful international rolling-stock companies in Britain who are struggling to keep on manufacturing in the UK in spite of their expertise and history, skills, outlook, positive attitudes and willingness to invest. It's time the UK Government decided, once and for all, to develop a comprehensive pro-rail policy and strategy to support those companies which are properly established here and to start the long climb back to a supreme UK Rail Industry. Well done to you for continually making these points so well on your channel.

[@f.g.9466]

That would go against the agenda of the tories who have been in power. And the current labour "alternative" is just more of the same.

[@Carlos-im3hn]

I believe electric rail and electrification will be waiting for future UK GenIV reactor policies and developments no matter the politics and costs. I am taking detailed notes while the UK leads the way. Great presentation. Cheers from across the pond.

[@TheDaf95xf]

Good morning Nigel Richard & not forgetting Steff 🤩 That Hitachi interview at the Newton Aycliffe Richard was priceless 👍🏻 This is what green signals is all about bringing an inside view of the railway that nobody else does.

[@Aspen90]

As a driver who has been waiting for those 810’s to come along for what seems like a lifetime, it’s nice to see them in progress! Looking forward to getting behind the desk of them.

[@GreenSignals]

They do look very smart indeed!

[@djburland]

Wow! Hitachi Rail, what and amazing manufacturing fecility

[@GreenSignals]

Indeed it is!

[@stephenbates306]

Hi, it’s me again, I mentioned to a friend of mine about the Sainsbury’s incident, his reply was oh I was at the QE Grammar school in Blackburn at the same time as Richard. Shows what a small world we live in. SB. PS They’re also his initials.

[@GreenSignals]

Goodness, a small world indeed! Blackburn and QEGS - happy days!

[@johngomersall6718]

Another brilliant podcast to make my Thursday evening. Nigel, Richard and Steph keep them coming. What an insight into Hitachi and more importantly the people that make it happen. Shame we cannot get the same level of enthusiasm and dedication from a certain bunch of people in Westminster! It would be a certain travesty to train building and local economy if these factories are allowed to fail. Keep up the good work and lets hope we get a refreshing wind into Westminster to make the correct decisions to support our vital railway.

[@GreenSignals]

Thanks John - really appreciate the feedback and we do aim to keep them coming!

[@briannewton9283]

Thank you so much Nigel, Richard and Stef. The Hitachi video was brilliant! I'm running out of superlatives to describe these podcasts, but keep them coming!

[@stuart48br]

An excellent piece about Hitachi Rail's Newton Aycliffe facility, and interesting to see how they have developed the welding and paint facility, and the bright and airy facility shows the benefit of a new building compared to the use of buildings built in another age and for a different product. Also noteworthy is their engagement with local industry for the development of the traction battery for the 802, shown on an earlier Green Signals. Proof that you can build a train manufacturing site (rather than just kit assembly) skills base in a relatively short time.

[@GreenSignals]

Agree with all of that!

[@tonywilson4704]

Always catch the pod on a Thursday evening when my weekend begins, I find it a great way to relax. This week's episode was really interesting with Richard's visit to Hitachi and how it built it's workforce, and skills. Nice to see EMR 810 Aurora's being built, can't wait to see them here in Leicester. Anyway, a Super thanks and keep up the good work

[@GreenSignals]

Thanks Tony. Really appreciate the feedback. Cheers. Richard

[@BIGV710]

for me the IETs are rubbish seats are awfulli had too go up to inverness on train from kings cross 8hrs sat on a ironing board not again i hireds a car for return as my back ached for days after that plus on new trains some had to go out of service as they had cracks on them

[@GreenSignals]

I think the fatigue crack issue was a little more complex than that and was a fair amount to do with the track / train interface.

[@limeyfox]

@@GreenSignalsthat may be so, but wasn’t the aluminium welding quality listed as a significant factor?

[@christopherpaxton407]

Oddly enough, a couple of hours before watching this podcast, I was listening to a recent episode of the University of Glasgow Spotlight podcast where they were discussing the impact of UK election purdah on the Scottish Government. They said that the purdah rules were guidelines rather than hard and fast rules and that they only officially apply to the body that is having the election. Therefore, there is theoretically nothing to prevent the Scottish Government from continuing to make pronouncements on devolved matters (such as transport). However, they added that it was likely that major announcements (specifically the new First Minister's proposed legislative programme for the coming year) would be likely to be postponed until after the UK election to avoid allegations of unfair electioneering.

[@GreenSignals]

Thanks - that's really interesting and does align with what we've heard elsewhere. Cheers.

[@stephendavies6949]

Another top quality video. Hugely informative, insightful and entertaining. Thank you both and Steph. Keep up the blather, chaps!

[@GreenSignals]

Thanks Stephen! We most certainly will keep up the blather!

[@timothypywell2511]

Always enjoy the video every week keep up the good work.

[@davidredgewell7415]

Modern inter city trains need buffet facilities on board

[@guyb3785]

Great video especially the Hitachi Factory vist well done

[@philbartlett7898]

Great edition again. Regarding the answer to the previous quiz - I was thinking of the Padarn railway which conveyed narrow gauge wagons from Llanberis to the port of Velinheli. The Padarn railway was actually 4 foot gauge so technically not standard gauge. Regarding transporter wagons, there is an Austrian transporter wagon on the Welshpool & Llanfair railway. These were used by the Austrian Federal Railways up to very very recently if not currently. The answer to this week's question - the "odd Worse and Worse" was the nickname for the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway

[@MartinH_222]

A great piece with Richard at the Hitachi facility at Newton Aycliffe, with it particularly interesting to hear about how the Hitachi workforce there has had to change, learn and adapt to being able to weld and paint vehicle bodies. However, on the point of having an empty order book of potential up to 3 years does open up the question of why Hitachi didn't try harder to win the LNER order which has gone to CAF instead. There has also been suggestions they had been 'pricing themselves out the market', with First Group having been rumoured to not have ordered additional stock for Lumo due to the price being too high. As I say this is only suggestion and rumour, but if true it wasn't a great strategy from Hitachi to fill a very obvious gap in there order book.

[@jasonmatthews5173]

The "Old Worse & Worse", was the Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton Railway opened in 1850-4, built as a Mixed-Gauge Railway designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It ran from Bushbury Junction, Wolverhampton to Wolvercote Junction, Oxford. I live right near it in Bilston, Wolverhampton, near the site of Bilston West Station. The line closed from Wolverhampton Low Level to Dudley in 1962, and Dudley to Round Oak in 1993. The rest is still open. Served by West Midland Railway, and Great Western.

[@allanmorton6022]

Great episode as always. Disappointed that Nigel is still mispronouncing Leven despite my comment on an earlier video about how to say it right. Even Geoff Marshall is saying it like a local now! IEP chat was great. Interesting Richard saying how good the welding shed is as dont the trains all have welding issues which are still being fixed (maybe they came from Japan with those issues though). Excellent seeing up skilling of the workers when recruitment is tough. Hope politicians watch this so we get long term planning. Hope LNER get these new seats! 2x5 car trains kill reservations when swapped for any other type at last minute which passengers hate. Richard will feel like a pop star soon after being recognised in shops! Quiz answer is the Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton Line I hope. Thanks for covering the Leven line despite the pronunciation! Back to school Nigel! Might be OK for opening the line as scottish gov and not uk. Would like you to investigate what happened to the government's union connectivity review. Seems to have been binned when HS2 was scaled back and now is never mentioned. Keep up the great work. The recommended vid and sub buttons don't appear on the last page at the end.

[@stuart48br]

The welding issues on the earlier trains were design issues, possibly linked to the rather firm ride of the trains, not manufacturing quality issues, and anyway they were not manufactured at Newton Aycliffe.

[@allanmorton6022]

@@stuart48br thanks for the clarification. Didn't think they were welded there.

[@GreenSignals]

Thanks as ever Allan. Really great comments. @stuart48br comments on welding very insightful. I think the track / train interface was a big factor. Thanks also for the various other comments - we will look into the Union Connectivity review and the missing buttons / sub buttons! As for Nigel's pronunciation, what can I say 🤦‍♂️ Cheers. R

[@davidcrossley8771]

Fascinating and inspiring insight into Hitachi thank you! But Richard "where did you get that 'at?". Get your dresser to check out any future headgear!

[@GreenSignals]

It was Hitachi issue! It did have my name embroidered on it though which was a nice touch......

[@jeanpalmer141]

Great Hitachi factory and skills, pity they weren't there when we needed those skills to build a reliable APT. How things could have been different. John

[@GreenSignals]

In fairness to the BR engineers who led the APT project, a number of people I respect and who were close to the project at the time are adamant that the issues with APT were being sorted and would have been all sorted in relatively short order. Unfortunately, politicians panicked and pulled the ply before they had had chance to finish the task of ironing out the technical issues.

[@jeanpalmer141]

@@GreenSignals Thank you for that clarification, politicians seem to make a habit of bad decisions on the railway. The story I had been told was that the APT needed aerospace type accuracy and technology not BR workshop technology, but on thinking about it I think BR had recruited some aerospace engineers for the APT project. But one thing I like about Green Signals is that you bring an incredible store of knowledge and experience to bear on issues. Keep up the good work and thank you for replying, John

[@GreenSignals]

@@jeanpalmer141 Thanks John. Really appreciate the feedback.

[@Threelinkdave]

OWW IS Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton. It can be found uaed in service.If you drive from Droiywich to Kidderminster an overbridge is labbeled OWW AND A NUMBER

[@GreenSignals]

Thanks. Tune in on Thursday to see who is the winner!

[@vlt14]

Thanks for this excellent video, now got a new found respect for Hitachi, vital that train manufacturing is protected in UK. 7 car 807's are nowhere near long enough for WCML, 9 car trains to Liverpool are already overcrowded

[@henrybn14ar]

Before it was rebuilt Euston could accommodate 17 mark one coaches. It ought to be relatively easy to extend some of the platforms backwards to their original position.

[@GreenSignals]

Good points re longer trains.

[@GreenSignals]

Er, I don't think it would be relatively easy at all!

[@Steve050462]

Really fascinating insight into the Operation at Hitachi. Learned a lot from the discussions and was taken by the strategic approach to supporting the wider North East region through continued investment, local supply sourcing and skills training. I can only echo the call for quick decisions on new work for this impressive facility. Thank you.

[@GreenSignals]

Thanks Steve. Really appreciate the kind words.

[@colinlea009]

Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton railway.

[@GreenSignals]

Thanks. Tune in later this week to find out who has won!

[@ChrisExley-sk1fh]

Open access: Some of the towns now served by Grand Central / Union have helped their local economies improve after the encombent franchise have not been the best at serving.

[@GreenSignals]

Hard to argue with the fact that incumbent operators didn't always help themselves.....

[@Listenerandlearner870]

Lots of train vehicles needed but Alstom and Hitachi at risk of closing.

[@GreenSignals]

In fairness, we've actually slightly over ordered in the last 10 years. But what we need is consistency and an end to 'peaks and troughs'

[@MervynPartin]

Excellent coverage of the Hitachi plant. The welding progress was very good news. I do hope that things go well for them, but they are also competing against an over capacity of plants. We have too many. Competition can be taken too far, making the boom and bust detrimental to all our industry. It does not help having such a useless, helicopter loving prime minister damaging the industry. I don't know what has happened to Talgo's plans for a Scottish plant , but that was not needed here anyway. The London-centric, EU loving DfT and Mayor of London prefer buying Siemens trains from Germany rather than supporting British manufacturers so the "assembly" plant in Goole for tube trains is just a sop. I doubt that they will be as long-lived as Metro-Cammell's trains. PS. I know that the quiz answer is the Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (so easy, Richard) but I made such a hash of trying to e-mail, that it has already been answered by others. Ah, well!

[@GreenSignals]

Thanks Mervyn. Don't worry about the quiz. All correct answers (not saying yours is or isn't!) going into a hat and one is then picked at random.

[@CNERail]

Leave-en *

[@nigelharris6873]

Afraid not. Stef checked THREE different online audio pronunciation guides and we followed their guidance....!

[@davidahugill99]

Great stuff , manufacturing in the UK , but when will the government wake up to the challenge of forward planning for the next 50 years …….our descendants will still want a decent easy to use transport system , the roads will be clogged solid before soon . Could some motorways be converted into railways for instance ? You never know it could happen in our grandchildrens lifetimes , but unlikely in ours ! Keep up the good work ……..Dave H Carnforth

[@JamesMichaelPearson]

Leeven, Nigel, as in Jackie!

[@1954alister]

John Swinney is not part of the Westminster election. He is 1st minister of the Scottish Parliament ans railways in Scotland are a devolved matter

[@brianbilling8940]

However the SNP have candidates in the UK general election…

[@GreenSignals]

Thanks. But as Brian says below, the SNP do have candidates in the election.....

[@markholdstock6705]

Very interesting stuff at Hitachi, but there was no mention of the B word. The staff who were trained in Italy were trained in 2020, just before Brexit officially kicked in..... would that training be possible today? Cheers and best wishes Mark....

[@GreenSignals]

It's a fair point Mark. We did talk about it off camera but I think everyone was rather resigned to the fact it had happened and now we needed to look forward.

[@GDGRailway47712]

Once everyone realises that it was one of the biggest mistakes a country has ever made, and we have removed this ideologically trapped government, we can start talking about what it will take, not to make brexit work because that is impossible, but to reverse it completely.

[@JamesMichaelPearson]

OW&W = Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton Railway, absorbed by GWR.

[@mrbaker7443]

The Old Worse and Worse is a good name for U.K. politics

[@GreenSignals]

Thanks - we'll reveal the quiz winner next week!

[@ShaunMcDonald]

What would it take to get the IETs to become level boarding? Could Hitachi redesign the base frame to become the height of UK platforms? Considering the typical 20-40 year life span of trains how could we have a way to build x trains per year so that fleets are regularly renewed and the manufacturers have a constant order book?

[@GreenSignals]

I think there is consensus that we need as predictable an order flow as possible to even out any peaks and troughs.

[@ShaunMcDonald]

@@GreenSignals yes I'm thinking about the detail of how to get to a predictable order flow. What would a predictable order flow look like?

[@ChrisExley-sk1fh]

Question answer: Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway.

[@GreenSignals]

Thanks - we'll reveal the quiz winner next week!

[@Listenerandlearner870]

Replace the worst seats.

[@GreenSignals]

I believe the pendolino refurb has made use of the new design of seats so maybe there can be some retrofitting on other AT300s

[@andrewseddon7989]

Another great episode gents especially showing the operation at Hitachi But as you richard were saying things don't look promising for the site if their manager is talking about no firn New contracts for after next March Its so sad obviously such a great skill base has been built up in the North East an area of the country that really needs the investment in growth to create jobs etc... so why couldn't government provisionaly commit to saying that within the next 12 months or less we require lets say for instance 100 new trains - or is it up to TOC's Bus as many of the toc' are coming up for renewal soon - are they going to comit to an order and then loose the franchise and be stuck with rolling stock thats branded ??? Why does government allways seem to dilly dally over investment when it comes to railways - HS2 has proved that - after all whats the point of london to Birmingham its up north that needs fast connections to the south Will northern powerhouse ever be built ???? I live in warrington and i believe that bank quay station was to have had a new station built underneath it on NP R Which i believe was supposed to be a fast route between liverpool though warrington, and going to Manchester via the airport and more platforms built underneath Manchester piccadilly station

[@davidredgewell7415]

NEW TRAIN ARE NEEDED ON THE London Marylebone to Warwick parkway Birmingham snow Stourbridge Junction main line Which could extend to Kidderminster and Worcester Forgate Street For Chiltern railway company arriva group 1 sq capital

[@davidredgewell7415]

First Group plc MTR need to invest in IETs on the London Waterloo to Salisbury Yeovil Junction and Exeter St David and central

[@jimmymaxwell6578]

Thanks for the video, all of it interesting and thought provoking. Justine Greening had some good quotes as a "developed" politician, the kind of thinking we need. Not the first commenter to mention pronunciation! A few vids were put up on youtube by "Scotland's Railway" as they've been building it. This is Joe's latest. Guys on the ground kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6C0goGve698oc0

[@GreenSignals]

Thanks Jimmy. Appreciate the feedback.

[@richardmoody9974]

Can we add that this pre-dates the whole "leveling up" agenda of this government. Leveling up started as a policy in 2019.

[@796karen]

The journey time from Methil (sorry can't use the L word) to Edinburgh is too long. It would have been better to put a Fast Cat on across the Forth and then drastically improving the journey time on public transport from Leith to the city centre. By the way what is happening to electrification in Fife? Last I heard was that the proposals were a right dogs breakfast with the pantographs going up and down more than a fidlers elbow

[@GreenSignals]

I believe it's fiddler (with two d's) and there's an apostrophe missing as well. Sorry Karen - have to try and get my own back sometime, although I think I am still trailing 4-1 or something like that.....

[@allanmorton6022]

I saw a video by a London based yiutuber who pronounced Methil as Met-Hill!

[@davidredgewell7415]

The Department for transport needs purchase modern new Trains for the Exeter Central to London Waterloo main line

[@gwrydd]

london already gets enough. the rest of the country is desperate for upgrades

[@davidredgewell7415]

We also need light rail system trams for West Yorkshire combined transport Authority and west of England mayoral combined transport Authority and North Somerset council areas

[@adodgygeeza]

As much as i like pride in skilled work the use of skilled welders just tells me that there is insufficient volume and standardisation to automate stuff or invest in single purpose tooling. Also where is the friction stir welding?he same goes for the painting even pretty low volume cars are painted by robots.

[@gorgu08]

Thinking about the pendolino plan to run them of HS2, I wonder if this Trilink project also helps speed up the northern section of the WCML to mitigate some speed and capacity losses in the cancellation of phase 2: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hojMnJ6VrNF1eNEsi=KcCx6oTP2Kim7mUi

[@GreenSignals]

Yes, since ETCS enables in cab signalling which is the principal barrier to 140 mil/h operation. Subject to linespeed constraints of course!

[@davidredgewell7415]

First Group plc Greater Western trains company limited GWR need modern regional and local trains

[@Wacky_Races]

The IEP is a poor product. Uncomfortable and doesn’t ride particularly well. Cannot compare it with the HST. Or 225 for that matter.

[@GreenSignals]

I do think it's personal preference. I did use to find HST seats a bit soft - i prefer really hard seats. But again, fully accept it's a personal thing.

[@Rocketed12]

​@@GreenSignals Not a personal preference, but facts. The HST rode significantly better, more compliant, more comfortable, than the Class 800. I drove HST's for 20 years and have been driving Class 800's since their launch. In fact, the 800's are abysmal on anything except perfect smooth track

[@rikrobson]

Re the John Swiney Visit to Levenmouth despite Purdah for the election. Transport devolved in Scotland and therefore Not a General Election issue.

[@GreenSignals]

Indeed.

[@anthonypowell5665]

Super great show. I am on the fence with open.acces.we looking forward to using Grand Unions Carmarthen to London service when it eventually starts. It seems to have gone very quiet . Was talk they trued ro order class 805s but Hitachi were charging higher prices now compared to previous builds think LUMO have come across this. GWR I think some issues there are down to the dft and treasury let operators experiment including new services etc. Direct Bristol to Oxford services should never have been stopped back in the early 2000's

[@GreenSignals]

I fear I may have had something to do with Bristol - Oxford back in SRA days....... But I think there are plans to try and resurrect that. Would be good.

[@stamrly418]

Leven? A bit like Mallaig!!!

[@nigelharris6873]

Afraid not. Stef checked THREE different online audio pronunciation guides and we followed their guidance....!

[@allanmorton6022]

​@@nigelharris6873well Steff must have found some dodgy sites as no one in Fife would recognise the way you are pronouncing it. Check out Geoff Marshalls latest video on the topic as he has corrected himself after comments on an earlier video. What good are online sources if you won't take the advice of locals?

[@nigelharris6873]

@@allanmorton6022 ` A bit like 'what good is it our consistently spelling Stef's name correctly hundreds of times with one 'f'' when critics can't get it right..!! Hoist by your own petard, methinks! Hope you enjoped the rest of the show..

[@allanmorton6022]

@@nigelharris6873 sorry about that, these little keyboards are tricky!

[@Funnyvideosorcoolcontent]

I think it’s pronounced eh-veh-ro

[@GreenSignals]

I think you're right! Listen in to this week's show.....

[@stuart48br]

"The pre-election period is the period in the United Kingdom between the announcement of an election and the formation of the new elected government. It affects civil servants, who must be politically impartial, preventing central and local government from making announcements about any new or controversial government initiatives that could be seen to be advantageous to any candidates or parties in the forthcoming election. The pre-election period does not apply to candidates for political office." (Wikipedia) All of which completely fails to answer the question of whether the Scottish First Minister is allowed to attend the reopening of a railway, though I guess you could say that the announcement of the reopening date was before the start of the pre-election period.

[@GreenSignals]

Worth checking the comment above / later from @christopherpaxton407 - very helpful.

[@henrybn14ar]

No criticism of the men on the job but these are dreadful trains. They need a total redesign. The ride quality is horrible, which means that they are probably track bashers. Misalignment of seats and windows is largely due to the wrong window bay dimension. They are difficult to get on and off with large step distances. They use space inefficiently because of the excessive length. The 1 metre gaps between vehicles and all the lumps on the room must create unnecessary air resistance. Bi-mode needs to be ditched. Expensive heavy equipment is being carted around unnecessary. The entire concept of 26 metre trains is unsuitable for Britain; bi mode is fundamentally flawed. Hitachi should be building trains to satisfy the needs of the people who actually use them. Why are they using aluminium when stainless steel could be used? It needs no painting and has a proven life of 60 years pkus.

[@GreenSignals]

Always (and I do mean ALWAYS) when criticising a procurement of anything (and it applies to trains as much as anything else) look to the competence of the client first. Who was the client in this case - the TOCs? the ROSCOs? No - someone else. I'll give you three guesses......but you'll only need one.

[@Carlos-im3hn]

Bi-mode elimation will require UK to develop a solid baseload electric power system for the future which will cost hundreds of billions for new GenIV reactors. UK is leading the way !

[@philipbancroft]

Cometition: Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWXPpJyPg9xke8Usi=-qb9hrhz3XQx4SCQ

[@GreenSignals]

Thanks - we'll reveal the winner next week!

[@796karen]

By the way I know the answer to the quiz. I won't enter being as it far too easy and even Richard can't mess this one up

[@GreenSignals]

Brutal, I tell you. Just brutal.😊

[@Rocketed12]

Hitachi maintenence quality is poor, at best

[@grenfellroad8394]

South Western Railway really need to be looking to Hitachi as a replacement for the Class 159s on the West of England services. GWR too are suffering seriously from a lack of stock, and more trains are needed here too. I’d like to see replacement of the seat ‘cushions’ on the GWR IETs though, the foam has collapsed and the support bar does dig in the back of your legs. Hopefully this will be addressed very soon. Great film and interview as always. Well done 👍

[@GreenSignals]

Thanks - really appreciate the feedback. Definitely worth grabbing a ride on one of the Avanti West Coast sets when you can - would love to know what you think about the seats!

[@ethan46441]

Excellent episode as ever, and I'm certainly looking forward to next week's one for the latest saga of The Jacobite. Regarding the situation you raised around the Levenmouth line reopening, there is a specific exemption for candidates standing for election (hence why we can have TV election debates and hustings), so provided John Swinney is running for election, he shouldn't get into any hot water around it. Purdah also only prevents new or controversial government (national or local) initiatives being launched during the election campaign by persons who aren't up for election, so I suspect the announcement being made in advance of the election being announced and the opening being done by someone up for election probably also help tip the scales in its favour as well

[@GreenSignals]

Thanks - appreciate the answer re purdah etc

[@simonaltham9054]

Levenmouth, wouldn't the opening be fine as it's a Scottish Government program rather than Westminster? The next election for the Scottish Parliament isn't for some time so no restrictions apply?

[@GreenSignals]

Yes, I think that's pretty much it.

[@gordondudman240]

John Swinney is a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP). His party (the SNP) having recently elected him as First Minister. Nothing to do with Westminster. Thus the General Election is, in this case, irrelevant!

[@davidredgewell7415]

Scotland Nationalised railway needs new trains by the Scottish government could be partly based at the reopen Caledonian Railway works In Glasgow with Hitachi and Alston

[@RobertDaveyD1022]

Thanks

[@GreenSignals]

Thank you SO much Robert. It's hugely appreciated.

[@Droningonuk]

From magic wands to earth movers to trains hitachi has it all

[@jamesinbolton]

The former Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway, part of what's still the Cotswolds line?

[@GreenSignals]

Thanks - we'll reveal the quiz winner next week!

[@stephendavies6949]

OWW: The Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton Line.

[@GreenSignals]

Thanks. Tune in late this week to find out who has won!

[@adodgygeeza]

Actually looking at all this makes me think that we should do a bit Soviet/US air force. In both circumstances the design of aircraft was by design bureaus and constructed in state factories. I think smaller more dynamic companies could conceive of and design better trains than the incumbents, not least because there is now a vast quantity of higher technology components being produced by automotive for EVs. These smaller companies can't break through because they don't have the infrastructure and they won't be able to demonstrate the processes and reliability.

[@GreenSignals]

The process for automotive manufacturers to secure safety approvals etc before a product can be sold to consumers is long, laborious and expensive - and for good reason. Only the larger companies can therefore afford to do it on any scale, notwithstanding the plethora or smaller companies producing high quality components and systems for them. It's no different with railway vehicles except safety acceptance is arguably an even bigger exercise given the number of people potentially involved in an incident. There are hundreds of smaller suppliers who design and supply hi-tech components to go on trains. So really, not that much difference.....

[@adodgygeeza]

@@GreenSignals the difference is the scale between automotive and rail. The rear motor in my Tesla reputedly costs under $2000 to produce including it's integrated gearbox and inverter. That's for a 220KW motor. Even with a derate for a railway duty cycle that is dramatically cheaper than what a rail manufacturer would pay, the package is much more compact and near silent in operation. That's a product of a much larger market and faster development cycles. My contention is that some new more agile design teams could use this technology stack much more effectively than the relatively conservative rail manufacturers the exemplar would obviously be Tesla but also people like Kratos in defence. The question for the "guiding mind" is how to enable that to happen, what I was proposing was decoupling design and volume manufacturing (done in the cold war for aircraft) though there are plenty of other approaches. A certain amount of procurement reform would also be needed if new participants are to enter, portions of budgets would need to be allocated to purchase products which are innovative but have a technology and execution risk.

[@RWL2012]

0:15 I interpret it as "EhVEERo" or "IhVEERo". I tried to ride on one on the 3/6/24 from Crewe to Chester but Error 404: Onward Driver Not Found. Will reattempt tomorrow (the 7/6/24).

[@GreenSignals]

Hope you get to ride on it and let us know what you think of the seats!

[@RWL2012]

Thanks, I can already tell you what I think of the seats as I did sit on one 😂 I didn't have any issue with it 😊

[@RWL2012]

13:44 when I was on 805004 there was still one of those Post-It notes and a sticker on the route map in one of the vestibules, dated January 2023 (!) mentioning a defect of scratches/scuffs to the top of the poster holder frame.

[@RWL2012]

I actually managed to ride on 805008 today (the 7/6/24) on 1D89 from Crewe to Chester, because an onward driver _was_ found this time 😆😝 I thought it was a good train - lots of handy features, like winged headrests (I still haven't yet been on a refurbished 390), 3-pin _and_ USB sockets at all seats (and wireless charging pads on the tables), seat-back reading lights (with two brightness levels), conventional ratio _and_ stretched bar high-resolution customer information screens, and even though it's an AT300, you know it's an Avanti / "successor operator to Virgin" train when it has a shop onboard 😜

[@physiocrat7143]

I would suggest that what the UK railways need is a fleet of hauled vehicles with similar dimensions as the BREL Continental or the class 180 trailer cars ie not more than 23 metres and preferably less, with a seating bay dimension of 1.90 metres. Shorter would be preferable as close-coupled Pullman gangways with knuckle or bar connectors can then be used which makes for a steadier ride. The manufacturers should be looking at stainless steel, like the Swedish X2000 series and the Channel Tunnel car carrier trains. The manufacture of aluminium is very energy-intensive and its service life might be questionable. It is prone to corrosion and fatigue, though the Al bodied Networkers and class 158 have obviously stayed the course. Given the difficulty of obtaining Al welders, it is surprising that Hitachi stayed with this metal. Bogies should be to a proven BR design such as the very simple B4 or B5 series, or the BT10 or the BREL T3-7 as fitted to the class 442. The usual mode of operation should be with locomotives in push-pull mode.

[@Wacky_Races]

Same as Alstom at Derby.

[@796karen]

Hitachi have not got a clue about design. Their safety hats are as bad as their trains. I would rather go up the Settle and Carlisle to the border than get on an Azuma.

[@blueskiesupnorth]

Thanks

[@GreenSignals]

Very kind of you, thanks very much!